Puppet manipulator and puppet-manipulator combination

ABSTRACT

A puppet manipulator and a manipulator-puppet combination and improvement wherein the manipulator comprises an elongate member releasably secured, at a beveled edge thereof, with the associated puppet. The manipulator can be inverted to accommodate both sitting and standing positions of the user. The releasable securement means associated therewith may comprise a suitable releasable back structure, bracket assembly, snap fastener means, releasable fabric securement means, et cetra.

United States Patent [1 1 Williams July 3, 1973 PUPPET MANIPULATOR AND PUPPET-MANIPULATOR COMBINATION [76] Inventor: Barbara Williams, Kanarraville,

- Utah [22] Filed: Mar. 10, 1971 [21] App]. No.: 122,763

[52] US. Cl. 46/126 [51] Int. Cit A63h 7/00 [58] Field of Search 46/126, 154; 16/114 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,624,155 1/1953 Boyle 46/126 166,364 8/[875 Hartwell 16/114 R Primary Examiner-Louis G. Mancene Assistant Examiner-J. Q. Lever Attorney-M. Ralph Shafier 7 1 ABSTRACT A puppet manipulator and a manipulator-puppet combination and improvement wherein the manipulator comprises an elongate member releasably secured, at a beveled edge thereof, with the associated puppet. The manipulator can be inverted to accommodate both sitting and standing positions of the user. The releasable securement means associated therewith may comprise a suitable releasable back structure, bracket assembly, snap fastener means, releasable fabric securement means, et cetra.

5 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures PATENTEDJUL 3 I975 FIG. 2

FIG. I

INVENTOR.

BARBARA WILLIAMS W M HEfi ATTORNEY FIG. 6

PUPPET MANIPULATOR AND PUPPET-MANIPULATOR COMBINATION The present invention relates to puppets and, more particularly, to a new and improved puppet manipulator and puppet-manipulator combination wherein a user can manipulate a puppet to his or her satisfaction from behind a puppet stage, and this whether the user is in a sitting or standing position. An essential feature of the invention is that an elongate member, serving as or comprising the manipulator, is angulated in a vertical plane away from the horizontal relative to the point of attachment thereof to a puppet.

In the past various types and styles of puppets have been devised. These range from puppets having articulative joints, the extremities of which are manipulated by depending strings, to stuffed puppets and glove-type hand puppets wherein the user supports the same from beneath.

Such configurements are rather awkward from the point of view of hand-manipulating the puppet over a considerable length of time. Further, a horizontal sup porting of the puppet becomes impractical since there is a maximum leverage owing to gravity, upon the wrist of the user, thereby tiring the wrist and forearm during long periods of manipulation.

The present invention centers in the concept of having an elongate member serve or comprise a puppet manipulator, and is such that the manipulator is held in a vertical plane at an angulated position relative to a horizontal plane passing centrally through the puppet. It is important to note that such a configuration permits the puppet to be manipulated whether the user be in a sitting or standing position. Furthermore, such a manipulator precludes the necessity of the user assuming a position such as can be seen by the audience. Finally, muscular tiring of the wrist and forearm are avoided since the puppet device is easily held and maintained in almost any position, and with a vertical component of support being provided as needed.

Accordingly, a principal object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved puppet manipulator.

An additional object is to provide a new and useful puppet-manipulator combination and improvement.

An additional object of the present invention is to provide a new and useful puppet manipulator which can be easily attached to, and removed from, a puppet, this by appropriate releasable securement means as hereinafter described by way of example.

A further object of the invention is to provide a puppet manipulator having a beveled face, this to accomplish optimum positioning of the manipulator relative to the puppet.

A further object is to provide a puppet-manipulator combination, and manipulator thereof, wherein the positioning of the manipulator relative to the puppet canbe reversed so as to accommodate both sitting and standing positions of the user, by way of example.

A further object of the invention is to provide a new and improved bracket support for puppets by which a reversable elongate manipulator may be used to support and manipulate the puppet as desired.

A further object is to provide a puppet-manipulator having a beveled face, which face is provided with releasable securement needs for releasable attachment to a selected puppet.

The features of the present invention may best be understood by reference to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation, partially cut away, of a puppet stage of a first type, illustrating the manner in which the user will manipulate a puppet disposed on the stage by means of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is similar to FIG. 1 but illustrates an alternate puppet stage wherein the user, instead of sitting, as seen in FIG. 1, assumes a standing position to manipulate the puppet.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary exploded view of releasable attachment means which are used in one form of the invention to releasably secure the elongate manipulator to a puppet.

FIG. 3a is a transverse section of the elongate manipulator and is taken along the line 3a3a in FIG. 3.

FIG. 4 is similar to FIG. 3 but illustrates an optional means of releasable attachment relative to the elongate manipulator used and the rear of the puppet; FIG. 4 is also shown in a fragmentary view.

FIG. 4a is a fragmentary section taken along the line '4a-4a in FIG. 4.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary perspective of the rear of a representative puppet, illustrating another means of releasable attachment relative to the puppet and the elongate manipulator.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary section taken along the line 6-6, in FIG. 6, illustrating the inter-cooperation of the puppet back with the elongate manipulator when the same is in place; the dotted line configuration shown in FIGS. 6, as well as those illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, show the disposition of the elongate manipulator when the same is inverted for standing maniuplation as shown in FIG. 2.

In FIG. 1, the puppet stage 10 is provided with an opening 11 for receiving a rigid elongate member 12 such as a wooden dowel rod. The latter is manually manipulated by the hand 13 of the person 14 using the same. Puppet P may be conventional in form and comprise with a puppet figure having pinned body portions or a stufied or other figure as is currently popular for puppet shows.

FIG. 2 illustrates that a different type of puppet stage 10A is utilized wherein the user, instead of sitting down as in FIG. 1, stands so as to manipulate a puppet by elongate member 11 as seen in FIG. 2.

Rarely, if at all, should a puppet be held by any member which is horizontal, as the user will either be sitting, as in FIG. 1, or standing, as in FIG. 2.

Accordingly, the basic feature of the present invention is the provision of an elongate member 12 having a beveled face MA. This is seen in FIGS. 3a and 5, by way of example. Attached to the beveled face 14A is a plate 15. This may be accomplished by a layer of adhensive cement 16. See FIG. 3a. Additionally, attached to the front face 15 of plate 15 is an attachment member taking the form of a Velcro strip 17, a releasable fabric, or even a snap 18. In the case of the snap 18, as shown in FIG. 4a, the same may be soldered or otherwise secured to a metal plate 23. In FIG. 3a the Velcro strip, or equivalent releasable fabric strip incorporating loops or other securement means, is utilized.

The structure at FIG. 5 is now considered. Elongate member 12 is preferably rigid and may be formed from a wooden bowel. Face 14 is beveled, as before indicated, and is cemented or otherwise affixed thereto as plate 15.

FIG. illustrates the back B, of puppet P, to which a mount 18 is secured. The same may be accomplished by rivets 19, by thread, or other securement means. It is seen that the mount 18 includes an interior channel 24 and an open end 20. Thus, the plate is easily slipped into the channel area of mount 18. See FIGS. 5 and 6. Also, the channel and plate combination are mutually constructed and arranged such that the elongate member ll2 may be shown either in a solid line position or in the dotted line position as seen in FIG. 6. Thus, both positions of the manipulator, as shown in FIGS. 1a and 2 may be accommodated.

Where the elongate member is provided with a releasable securement means as shown in FIG. 3a, then a cooperating releasable patch 25 may be cemented as by cement layer to the back B of Puppet P. Where a snap fastener is used as seen in FIG. 4, then a snap receptacle 21 may be sewn, cemented, or otherwise secured at 22 to the back B of puppet P. It is noted in the case of the structures shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 that the elongate member may be repositioned so as to accommodate manipulation as seen in either FIG. 1 or in FIG. 2. The plate 15 may take the form as that shown in FIG. 5 or as seen in FIGS. 3 and 4, at 15A and 15B.

What is provided is a new and improved puppet manipulator, accommodating both standing and sitting positions of the user. The same includes a beveled face which can be easily releasably secured, as by suitable releasable securement means, to a puppet to be manipulated on a puppet stage.

While particular embodiments of the particular invention have been shown and described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art the various changes and modifications which may be made without departing from the essential features of the present invention.

I claim:

1. In a puppet and manipulator combination comprising a puppet having a back and a manipulator attached thereto, an improvement wherein said manipulator comprises an elongate member having an elongate axis and a beveled face beveled angularly relative to said longitudinal axis of said elongate member and away from the normal thereof, and a pair of releasably interconnecting means each respectively secured to said puppet at said back and also to said beveled face, respectively, for enabling the supportive attachment and releasable affixing of said elongate member, proximate said beveled face, to said puppet.

2. In a puppet and manipulator combination comprising a puppet having a back and a manipulator attached thereto, an improvement wherein said manipulator comprises an elongate member having an elongate axis and a beveled face beveled angularly relative to said longitudinal axis of said elongate member and away from the normal thereof, and a pair of releasably interconnecting means each respectively secured to said puppet at said back and also to said beveled face, re spectively, for enabling the supportive attachment and releasable affixing of said elongate member, proximate said beveled face, to said puppet, and wherein said beveled face is constructed and arranged such that said puppet can be supported by said elongate member when the latter, when disposed in a vertical plane, is in both raised and lowered positions.

3. In a puppet and manipulator combination comprising a puppet having a back and a manipulator attached thereto, an improvement wherein said manipulator comprises an elongate member having an elongate axis and a beveled face beveled angularly relative to said longitudinal axis of said elongate member and away from the normal thereof, and a pair of releasably interconnecting means each respectively secured to said puppet at said back and also to said beveled face, respectively, for enabling the supportive attachment and releasable affixing of said elongate member, proximate said beveled face, to said puppet, wherein said beveled face is constructed and arranged such that said puppet can be supported by said elongate member when the latter, when disposed in a vertical plane, is in both raised and lowered positions, and wherein said interconnecting means comprise, respectively, a bracket affixed to said beveled face of said manipulator and having a rectangularly shaped undercut channel, and a rectangular plate releasably positionable within said channel and affixed to said puppet at said back.

4. An elongate support member comprising a rod having a beveled face beveled angularly away from a normal transverse plane thereat, and means affixed to said beveled face for releasably supporting a puppet thereat.

5. In combination, a puppet, an elongate support member having a beveled support face angularly beveled away from a normal plane thereat, said puppet and said elongate support member being provided with inter-engaging means whereby said puppet can be supported by said elongate support member proximate said beveled face thereat.

* t l k 

1. In a puppet and manipulator combination comprising a puppet having a back and a manipulator attached thereto, an improvement wherein said manipulator comprises an elongate member having an elongate axis and a beveled face beveled angularly relative to said longitudinal axis of said elongate member and away from the normal thereof, and a pair of releasably interconnecting means each respectively secured to said puppet at said back and also to said beveled face, respectively, for enabling the supportive attachment and releasable affixing of said elongate member, proximate said beveled face, to said puppet.
 2. In a puppet and manipulator combination comprising a puppet having a back and a manipulator attached thereto, an improvement wherein said manipulator comprises an elongate member having an elongate axis and a beveled face beveled angularly relative to said longitudinal axis of said elongate member and away from the normal thereof, and a pair of releasably interconnecting means each respectively secured to said puppet at said back and also to said beveled face, respectively, for enabling the supportive attachment and releasable affixing of said elongate member, proximate said beveled face, to said puppet, and wherein said beveled face is constructed and arranged such that said puppet can be supported by said elongate member when the latter, when disposed in a vertical plane, is in both raised and lowered positions.
 3. In a puppet and manipulator combination comprising a puppet having a back and a manipulator attached thereto, an improvement wherein said manipulator comprises an elongate member having an elongate axis and a beveled face beveled angularly relative to said longitudinal axis of said elongate member and away from the normal thereof, and a pair of releasably interconnecting means each respectively secured to said puppet at said back and also to said beveled face, respectively, for enabling the supportive attachment and releasable affixing of said elongate member, proximate said beveled face, to said puppet, wherein said beveled face is constructed and arranged such that said puppet can be supported by said elongate member when the latter, when disposed in a vertical plane, is in both raised and lowered positions, and wherein said interconnecting means comprise, respectively, a bracket affixed to said beveled face of said manipulator and having a rectangularly shaped undercut channel, and a rectangular plate releasably positionable within said channel and affixed to said puppet at saId back.
 4. An elongate support member comprising a rod having a beveled face beveled angularly away from a normal transverse plane thereat, and means affixed to said beveled face for releasably supporting a puppet thereat.
 5. In combination, a puppet, an elongate support member having a beveled support face angularly beveled away from a normal plane thereat, said puppet and said elongate support member being provided with inter-engaging means whereby said puppet can be supported by said elongate support member proximate said beveled face thereat. 